Optometer.



J. E. GOODMAN.

OPTOMETEB.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 27, 1908.

Patented May 18. 1909.

5 SHEETS-BURST 1.

QM Mmoow J. B. GOODMAN.

OPTOMETBB.

APPLIOATIOH rum) NOV. 27, 190B.

Patented May 18, 1909.

3 SKEETS-8HEBT 8.

314 'ua-wtoz JB GcoH/nzwn r JAUOB EUGENE GOODMAN, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

OPTOMETER;

No. 922,27e.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application filed November 27, 1908. Serial No. 464,623.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JACOB EUGENE Goon- MA'N, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Optcmeters; and I do' declare the followin to he a full, clear, and exact description the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This inverition relates to an optometer and has for its object to provide a new optical instrument of this kind by means of which the acuteness -of vision may be readily found, and also the pnnctum remctum (far point of distant vision) and the punctum roximum (near point of distant sight) may is quickly determined. Also if the eye has two uncta 20 remota (astigmatism) this device ocates each oi them and the meridians in which they lie; myopia, hypermetropia, astigma- A secondary obpect of the invention is to provide an option histrumept of this class- -wl1ich is exceedingly simple in construction,.

considering the many uses for which it is ada ted,eas1ly o erated and xnexpens 1\ 'e.

'ith these an other objects in View, the

*invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrmigomentof parts as will be mor fully described and.

particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fi ure 1 is a side elevation of an optometer emliodying my im rovements Fig. 2 is a central longitudin section taken through the dcvice;F1g. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary view of the indicating and recording means Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken throng 1 the pylinder in advance of tho indicating disk; *ig. 6 is ,a similar view looking in the opposite dircction; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on line 7-7 oi Fi 4; Fig. Sis a fragmentary sectional view 0 the operating means for the ivotedlens.

In the embc imcnt illustrated the device comprises a hollow acylind cal tube or casing 1 of opaque'materi whi is-mounted'upcn a. longitudinal support 2 carried-by the upper 'end of a cylindrical standard 3 rcvolubly mounted in the tubular extension 4 01' a support 5 screwed or other wise llxcdl v mounted upon a fiat supporting base 0. 'l he eudsol to the cylinder or casing l. are closed in by front and rear end walls 7 and 8, respectively, the latter being provided with a suitable opening 9 to )ermlt the passage of a beam oflight into thc rear end of the casing. These walls 65 are held in position by cylindrical hoops or hands 10 wlnch are'held in position by screws 1-] which screw through the bodies 12 of the hoops or bands through the ends of the easing 1 into the erimetcrs of the end walls, the hoops or ban s being provided at their outer edges with inwardly extending rims 13 which engage the ends of the casing. A disk supmrting shaft 14 is arranged centrally and ongitudinally within the casing, said shaft being of square form in cross section and provided at its front end with a circular extension 15 which is jourualed in the front cud wall F and with a similar but lou vr cxtcnsion at its rear end which cxlom 5 through Ru and beyond the rear end wall and h as screwed to its extreme rear cud an operating handle 17 which, as shown, is in the form of a disk. 7

A transparent indicating disk 18, preferably of glass, and of a diameter somewhat less than the internal diameter of the casing, is slidahly mounted upon the shaft 14 in any suitable or well known manner, the front are 01' the disk being provided with a circular strip 19 of opaque material,preferably paper, u )on which are printed twelve groups of suitloindicia oi graduated sizes. A metallic guard plate 20 of semi-circular form and a size to closely fit within the casing or cylinder of the indicating disk and is providef with a register any one of the groups of mdicia. The object of this guard isto prevent the patient from seeing dicia at a time.

A bevel gear 22, is arrangula't the rear end of the shaft 14 and intermcshcs with a second bevel gear 23 arranged at the inner end of a in the rear end of ti 1c cylinder or (M w l through in. dj t n of a mil? circular Indicating disk-27 attached thereto,

'ond the, disk 2:] and havinp secured thereto y a nut 28 an Index 29. he shaft 1 4 -may is arranged in front of and at the upper half central opening .21 with which is adapted to' l more thunoncgroup ol'-in-' shaft or spindle 24, the outer end pi wl|iclih;\'-" 165 tends through a longitudinal slct'25 lcrrncd the outer-"end of the spindle extending be'-'" be turned one-twelfth of a revolution at a time to successively dispose or bring the sev: eral grou s of indicia into registration with the opening 21 of the metallic guard and to cause the index 29 to move one-twelfth of a revolution over the face of the disk 27 by means of the handle'17. In order to insure that the shaft 14 will turn but a quarter of a.

revolution at a time and in order that it may be held at any desired oint, a ratchet wheel 30,"havin -twelve test 1, is arranged at the rear end t ereof,-and afiatspring 31 is attached to the inner face of the rear end wall in ositi'on to engage the teeth of said ratchet.

he ends of the scale 26 are screwed to supporting lates 32 which are in turn screwed to t e bodies of the hoops or bands 10. A cylindrical rod 33 is arranged between the lower .ends of the plates 32 and forms a track for the inner end of a slide 34, to the te'nds through the rear end wall 8 and is screwed or otherwise attached at its front end to the metallic guard 20. o

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the indicating disk 18 may be moved or slid upon its track, which in this case is the shaft 14, by means of the o crating rod 35, the relativeposition of the indicating disk bei indicated by an index 37 carried by the ormer. The scale bar 26 is provided with a lower 'scale to indicate myopia and astigmatism, and hgpermetropia and astigmatism, and a secon scale to indicate pres yopia.

An eyetube 38 provided with a cylindrical body 39 isslid into the front wall of the casing and a lens 40 is 'arr ed in the inner end of a frame 41 fixed to the mner end of an 0 ersting shaft 42 provided at its front end wit an operating handle 43 the frame being arranged in position to dispose the lens immediately in frontofthe body of the eye tube when the operating handle is swung inwardly to the maximum extent, the extent'of the swinging movement-of the lens carrying arm being limited in both directions by sto s 4'4 on the inner face of the front end wall 0 the casing. In'practiee, the lens having been swung intoz'a position out of registration with the eye tube andthe operating shaft 14 having been-turned to dispose the stigmatic cha into-z registration with the opening of the saga ard,,2 0, the patientlooks into the e 9 tube with the naked eye at ithe 'chartan 1f this is not clearly and-distinctly, seen by h m, the shaft 14 is turned a twelfth of a revolution'at a time'to dis ose the successive groups ofindioia into registration with the opening of the the invention as de guard 20 until such a group has been brou ht into position as may be clearly and istmctly read by the patient. I At each onetivelfth of a revolution of the shaft 1.4 and Indicating disk, the index '29 is moved a corresponding fraction of a revolution over the (ha 27 by the means heretofore described and by this means, the acuteness of vision may be readily determined. To measure myopia" (near sight) or hypermetro ia (far sight), the indicating disk is started at the extreme rear end of the cylinder and is gradually moved toward the eye until the stigmatic chart first becomes distinct or readable; in other words, the most remote point at which it is ossible to see this chart clearly is found. he point so found is the punctum remotum (far point of distant vision) as shown by the instrument and mdicates thenefractionol' the eye for distant vision. If the point so found lies beyond zero on the right hand side of the bar, the eye is hypermetropic and requiiesfor its correction a plus (con-vex) lens ofa powerindicated bythe position of the index 29 on the scale. If the point so found lies between. zero and the, eye tube, the eye is myopic and requires for its corrcction'a minus (concave) lens of a power indicated by the position of the index. As is a well known i act, the strongest possible plus and the weakest- )ossible minus lenses should be chosen for distant vision glasses. Astigmatism is measured at the same-time as myopia and hypermetropin. .'lhe outer I end oit e eye tube s provided with a slot 30 to receive a concave lens' of the desired strength, (which would usually be 6 dioptres) to increase the range-of the instrument when measurin myopia or accommodations A scale is so arranged at the upper edge of the scale bar, wluc mining the distances in inches which the indicating disk is located from the eye 'of the patient. a

connection with invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art towhichthe 1 ap )ertains.

arious changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departmg from the prineiple ,or sacrificing an of the. .advanta'ges of claims:

when measuring acuteness of v1s1on,.prov1desa means for deter From the foreglping description taken in I e rawings, it is thou ht that the construction andoperation of he n'vention i 1 5 12o ed in the appended Having thus described my invention, what; f

I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-j ters P'atent is:

' 1. In an optometerta supporting base', a"

closed cylinder 'revol-u a eup'portin longitudina y thlough the cylmderi an' in dic'ating disk provided with groups 0 1y mounted thereon. shaft extending centrally and v indieia of graduated sizes arranged on the shaft, a guard plate rovided wit a central 0 ening arranged in ront of and at the upper alf of the indicating 'disk, and means under the control of the operator forintermittentl turning said shaft to successively dispose t 1e several groups of indicia on the indicating disk in registration with the opening of the guard plate.

2. An optometer comprising an opaque cylinder having alined sight and light openings, testin means mounted'for rota and ion itudina ad'ustment within said cy inder an having gra uated indicia thereon, means to aline the indicia with the light and sight 0 enings of the cylinder and means to focus t e same.

3. In an 0 tometer, an opaque cylinder having aline sight and light 0 enings, an indicating disk having grar uate indicia arranged wlthin the cyhnder, means for intermittently turnin said disk to aline the indicia with the lig t and sight openings, and means to focus the disk.

4. In an 0 tometer, an o aque cylinder having aline sight and liglit openings, a disk su porting shaft arranged longitudi- .nallv t erein, an indicating disk having graduated indicia and slidably mounted upon said shaft, means under the control of the operator for intermittently turning the shaft a fraction of a revolution to visionallv aline the indicia of said disk, and means for adjusting the disk longitudinally upon the shaft to focus the indicia.

5. In an o tometer, an opaque cylinder having aline sight and light openings, an indicating disk having raduated indicia and mounted for longitudinal adjustment in the cylinder, means under the control of the operator for intermittently turning the disk a fraction of a revolution to visionally aline the indicia, and a lens pivotally mounted in the cylinder in position to swing into alinement with the sight opening.

6. In an o tometer, an opaque cylinder having aline sight andlight openings, an indicating disk having graduated indicia and mounted for longitudinal adjustment in the cylinder, means under the control of the operator for intermittently turning the disk a fraction of a revolution to visionally aline the indicia, a lens pivotally mounted in the cylinder in osition to swing into alinement with the sig t opening, and means to indicate the position of the indicating disk with relation to the cylinder and the positions of the graduated indicia thereof.

7. In an o tometer, an o aque cylinder having aliner sight and lig t openings, a transparent indicating disk having graduated indicia and mounted for longitudinal adjustment thereon, means under the control of the operator for intermittently turning said disk a fraction of a revolution to visionally aline the indicia thereof, and means for indicatin the longitudinal position of the disk in t e cylinder, said means comprising a graduated scale arranged at the exterior of the cylinder, and an operating rod connected with the disk and provided with an index disposed over the scale, mounted for longitudinal adjustment heneath the latter.

8. An optometer comprising an opaque cylinder having alined light and si ht openings, and testing means mounted ihr rotary and longitudinal adjustment within said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

JACOBEUGEN'E GOODMAN Witnesses:

E. EDMONSTON, Jr., J. P. Dennis. 

